Drugs and driving mix badly for Theodore man weighed down with pills

About 8.50pm a NSW Highway Patrol vehicle stopped a maroon Ford Fairmont on Monaro Highway in Richardson. After speaking with the driver for a short time, the vehicle fled police and accelerated north on the Monaro Highway.

ACT Policing vehicles attended the area to look for the vehicle and person of interest. About 9.30pm police observed a taxi stopped on Lawrence Wackett Crescent, Theodore and saw a person matching the description run from the taxi.

Police chased on foot and located the man who had approximately 100 pills of suspected MDMA, a bag of what appeared to be cannabis and a large sum of money in his possession.

The NSW Highway patrol member attended the scene and confirmed the man was the same driver they had spoken to earlier.

The man was conveyed to the Canberra Hospital by ACT Ambulance where he was medically cleared and had blood taken to test for driving while affected by illicit substances.

The man was taken to the ACT Watch House and charged with reckless and dangerous driving, failing to stop for police, possession of prohibited substances, and driving while disqualified.